Malawi Govt duped over vehicle sale

Malawi Government has ordered the return of vehicles which some officials in various departments allegedly colluded to sell at a giveaway price without authorisation.

Only four of the vehicles, which belong to the Ministry of Information (MOI), have since been returned while the others are yet to be recovered.

MOI drivers are alleged to have colluded with officials from the Treasury Department and PVHO in forging documents that should have allowed boarding off the vehicles.

Two sources corroborated the development and said the concerned drivers who bought the vehicles have been asked to write reports after the vehicles were sold off in the ranges of K60 000 (about $200) to K120 000 (about $400).

The ministry’s Deputy Principal Secretary Harold Pelekeni confirmed the recovery of four vehicles from some drivers who bought them allegedly using fake names.

Said Pelekeni: “The drivers wrote an internal memo to the Principal Secretary through my office, asking to buy the vehicles which the ministry was boarding off. I was supposed to have forwarded the memo to his office but I advised them that Treasury, Road Traffic Department (RTD), National Audit Office and PVHO which form a survey committee was supposed to inspect and value them first.”

He said the drivers told him that the vehicles had been to Treasury and PVHO who approved their sale, but discovered they used forged documentation.

Pelekeni said the drivers involved are being denied assignments pending disciplinary action. The vehicles are two Toyota Camrys, two Pajeros, a Toyota Hilux and a Land Rover.